


Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper II

by AriaSaeryen



Category: Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper (2004)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 13:17:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3328079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AriaSaeryen/pseuds/AriaSaeryen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few years after the double wedding in which Princess Anneliese of Kattenland and her look-alike, Erika, each married the ones they loved, King Dominick's ambassador has become disillusioned with the fact that his queen was born a peasant. He seeks out Preminger, now imprisoned in Kattenland's dungeon, and asks for his help in seizing Dulcinea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She was the queen of this land.

Erika, formerly a toiling seamstress with a dream of being a singer, was now Queen of Dulcinia. She had found her true love in King Dominick only three years before.

It had come as quite a surprise that instead of the Princess Anneliese of Kattenland, to whom he had been engaged, the King had married a mere pauper, as his Ambassador called her. The Ambassador was altogether not pleased with the whole situation.

The singer queen stood on the balcony of her room, looking down at the beautiful valley kingdom of Dulcinia. It was quite lovely, with running streams and fruit trees that one could not hope to find on the mountaintop where Kattenland lay.

Still, Erika missed Kattenland. She missed the view one could see from the old window at Madam Carpe’s Dress Shop. Even though she had longed all her life to get out of that place, it had been a beautiful view. One could see the whole world from that window. Here in the Dulcinian palace, she could see only her kingdom and the mountain where Kattenland sat in the distance.

Erika’s cat, Wolfie, who continued his doggish ways, was sometimes here, but sometimes there. He and Serafina, Anneliese’s beautiful white cat, had about – was it twenty kittens now? They were everywhere.

Erika missed the cat family when they were in Kattenland.

~

Downstairs, in the palace’s yellow throne room with a fountain in the middle, King Dominick’s Ambassador, Bismarck, didn’t notice Erika’s entrance as he paced. If he had, he would have given an obviously reluctant bow. That was the only other problem with Erika’s queenly life. Apart from his obvious disdain for her and the longing for Kattenland, life was just about perfect.

She didn’t want to have to talk to him. But if she was going to go to Kattenland, he would have to let her go.

“Excuse me, sir?”

Bismarck turned. He bowed his head briefly without saying a word.

“I would like to go to Kattenland, please.”

He sighed. “Very well. Miss Bertie?”

Bertie was the seamstress Erika had worked alongside at Madam Carpe’s. She was now Erika’s lady-in-waiting.

“Come along, Your Majesty,” she said, smiling, as she held out her hand to Erika.

~

She wondered what Princess Anneliese would think of her. When they had last seen each other, she and Dominick had said their goodbyes to Anneliese and her husband, Julian. Then, they had departed for Dulcinia and the princess and her consort went back to Kattenland.

She still hadn’t kicked the habit of wearing ordinary clothes by then, but now, with her elegant purple queen gown and her golden crown, she wouldn’t be the same Erika anymore. She would be a queen to Anneliese, a political figure.

With a sigh, Erika allowed Bertie to guide her out of the carriage.

~

The Princess Anneliese Kendall Katten was by no means Queen of Kattenland yet. Her mother, Genevieve, still reigned, but as she was getting older, Anneliese and Julian often helped her out.

The princess and her consort now had a daughter, who had only recently entered the world. The two-week-old girl, who resembled her father in most respects except for the fact that she shared Anneliese’s sky-blue eyes, turned in her cradle and looked out the window. Below it, she saw what looked very much like her mother, almost exactly. For a second she thought Anneliese had gone outside until the princess picked her daughter up and proceeded to walk downstairs to meet her guest.

~

“Erika! You’re back!”

Princess Anneliese’s face was bright with joy.

“Hello, Bertie,” she said, giving a quick curtsy.

Erika’s mouth curled into a smile. Anneliese wasn’t treating her like a queen at all! She was the same old Erika!

She had opened her arms wide to embrace the princess when she saw the baby in her arms.

“Who is this?” Erika asked joyfully.

“Oh!” Anneliese giggled. “I just sent a letter to you about her. This is my new daughter. Her name is Misha Anne Katten.”

Misha Anne Katten seemed to quizzically regard Erika.

“She thinks I’m you,” Erika said.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I missed Kattenland especially today, and the cats are over here. I just wanted to see you and Julian, and Wolfie too.”

~

Up in the newest room in the castle, which had a huge window overlooking the whole kingdom, and by extension, the whole world as they knew it, Princess Misha lay in her blue cradle lined with silk. Beside her, Erika kneeled, singing her favorite song to the little princess.

“ _Though you may not know where your gifts may lead_

_And it may not show at the start_

_When you live your dream you’ll find destiny_

_Is written in your heart_ ”

Misha soon closed her eyes and went to sleep.

“An envoy from Dulcinia once came here,” Julian said. “He told me of how the people revered their songbird queen.”

Erika laughed.

“I was also told that they didn’t like King Dominick’s ambassador very well. I heard he doesn’t like you that much.”

“He doesn’t,” agreed Erika. “He thinks it was foolish of Dominick to marry me, and I must say, honestly, if he weren’t around, I might not be longing all the time for Kattenland.”


	2. Chapter 2

            Bismarck was, altogether, a very unhappy man.

            He had brought Dominick all the way up that mountain to Kattenland, and he had insisted he go on the first journey disguised as a page so he could get to know Anneliese, his bride-to-be.

            Then, just like any old fool, he was going to tell her. And he did tell her when he met her. Only it wasn’t really her. It was some poor girl from the village!

            And what did he do, even after he found this out? He came right back to Kattenland to marry her again. And she’d left him to go and sing. Then, just when Bismarck finally thought he had some peace, the street rat had come to Dulcinia herself. He and she had gone back to that disgraceful mountain and gotten themselves married.

            These days, Bismarck thought it just might be better off if he were king instead of Dominick, the lovesick fool.

            He had to be. Because of her, Dominick was wasting all his rightful riches on the street urchins of the land. He had told Bismarck that this was so they could “follow their dreams”. Well, Bismarck had no time for that.

            He had an idea. Dominick was certainly a master of disguise. He had some armor somewhere. He’d used it to masquerade as a guard so he could bail Erika out of jail.

            Bismarck was going to do the exact same thing.

            ~

            “Hey Nack, did ya hear something?”

            Nick, a street rat who had gotten his wage from helping Preminger, Queen Genevieve’s traitorous adviser, was now locked up in the Kattenland castle dungeons with his fellow hooligan, Nack.

            As usual, Nack responded by slapping Nick.

            “It’s only the guard, ya idiot! He’s sleepin’ on the job, as always! An’ his armor’s clankin’ against da wall while he snores!”

            “No, I definitely heard something! Like…footsteps.”

            “Ya heard nothin’ of the sort!”

            “I think you did, boys. You want out, or what?”

            A strangely fat new guard was unlocking the cell door.

            “Who exactly are you?” Nack demanded.

            “My name’s Bismarck,” the guard whispered. “I’m going to need to the help of you two and your boss if I’m to be the King of Dulcinia.”

            After a pause, he asked, “Where is your boss?”

~

            Preminger couldn’t believe his luck. He had gone from the richest man in Kattenland to a good-for-nothing prisoner. It was all because of that stupid schoolboy interfering. And his doppelganger. Preminger had no idea where that tutor had found such a perfect likeness of Princess Anneliese.

            He was in the lowest dungeon of them all. It was completely underground, just like that accursed mine from which he’d stolen Kattenland’s gold supply, and the guard posted on him was always awake.

            That guy was talking to himself now. Preminger suspected it was because he was crazy from sleep deprivation.

            But wait – who was the other voice?

            “Yes – the Queen demands to see all three of them. Now let him out!”

            Oh no. This could not be good.

            He saw Nick and Nack enter his cell along with a very fat guard.

            “Psst!” said the fat guard. “Are you Preminger?”

            “Yep, that’s him,” said Nick. He was promptly dealt a slap in the face.

            “Shhh!” said the guard. “Now, Preminger, my name is Bismarck. I have this plan, but first we need to get to Dulcinia. What do you say?”

~

            “How are we going to get past King Dominick and his doppelganger queen?!” demanded Preminger on the carriage ride out of Kattenland.

            “Well, you see,” Bismarck replied, “the thing is, Queen Erika’s not in Dulcinia. She was homesick, and so she’s in Kattenland with their royal family.”

            Preminger groaned. He hated the lot of them. That idiotic queen, her troublesome daughter, and the tutor the princess had ended up marrying. All good-for-nothing pansies content to flaunt about in the palace all day.

            He hated King Dominick too – he had nearly stolen Kattenland from him! And he hated his doppelganger queen. She was partly responsible for Preminger’s bad luck.

            “You will help me, won’t you Preminger?” said Bismarck.

            Preminger sneered.

            “How could I refuse?”


	3. Chapter 3

Erika took a few steps before reaching the edge of the balcony where she and Dominick had once sat. They had been here when she was masquerading as Anneliese, and he thought she was the Princess. This was where he had told her she was honest, no pretenses. It had made her uneasy back then, as the very life she was living at the time was a lie.

            Now, it made sense. She was glad that he had continued to love her even after realizing she wasn’t the princess. What was worse was that Preminger had made up a story about how she had hidden the princess in the Kattenland Mine and then collapsed it. He had fooled her into believing Anneliese had perished in the collapse. She hadn’t, of course. She and Julian had gotten themselves out by flooding the mine. It was thanks to Wolfie’s digging that they’d gotten out through the mine shaft.

           

            She and Dominick had no children yet, but you never knew what could happen. It could be just around the corner. She hoped that, one day, she would have a little daughter as beautiful as Misha Anne Katten.

            “Your Majesty!”

            She turned. Bertie was running up to her. She ran right up, hoping to catch her.

            “What is it?”

            “I’ve just received a letter from Ambassador Bismarck. He says His Majesty the King wishes to speak to you immediately.”

            Erika gasped. She knew it had to be serious, for he had known where she was going and that she was planning to stay for more than a day.

            “Did this letter say what happened?” she asked.

            “No,” replied the lady. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

 

            After a hasty farewell to the Katten royalty, Erika was back in the carriage. Unlike the last trip, however, she wasted no time looking out the window and marveling at the beauty of the mountains or the valleys, which she had done when she wasn’t busy thinking about what Anneliese and the others were up to. Her heart was sick with worry. Was her beloved ill? Was the kingdom getting along okay? Could they even be on the verge of war? She dared herself not think on it. In all her life she had never experienced a war. It was frightening to think of what might happen.

            After she had thought up her last worries as to what could be wrong, she found herself falling into dreamland.

 

            She was a little girl again, happy and free, singing, while her parents smiled. She was about fourteen. Her father and mother had caught the same plague that had only a week ago proven fatal to the King of Kattenland. She was praying for their recovery. She was fifteen. It had been three months since she’d lost her parents. She was now working at Madam Carpe’s dress shop to pay off their debt. She was finding an odd stray kitten who barked and deciding to take him in. She was seventeen. She and Princess Anneliese were coming face to face like a mirror. She was being coached on how to act like a princess by Julian. She was falling in love for the first time with King Dominick. She was being exposed by Preminger. She was planning her escape from the dungeons. She was singing in some far-off land. She was getting married. She was being crowned Queen of Dulcinia.

            Amidst the smiling, cheering crowd, she saw the sour face of Bismarck.

            She cried.

 

            “Your Majesty? We’re back.”

            Bertie’s voice pulled Erika out of her flashback. Immediately she got herself out of the carriage without even waiting for the guards to help.

            “Dominick?! Dominick!”

            “He’s not here,” said a familiar voice.

            It was Bismarck.

            “He’s not?! Where is he?! What’s happened?!”

            “He had an…urgent meeting with the King of Lunenmeyer,” Bismarck replied. “He wanted you to come, but unfortunately you arrived too late. He will be back by tomorrow.”

            “What’s going on in Lunenmeyer?”

            “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I’m under strict orders not to tell.”

 

            That night, King Dominick gave his escort orders to take him back to Dulcinia immediately. For some reason, his ambassador had told him that the Queen of Paladia wanted to see him right away, and he’d gone all the way there only to find out that there was nothing she needed from him after all. Why had his ambassador sent him on a bogus mission? It had occurred to him right there and then that the place he should be was the one he had just left.

            “Back to Dulcinia! Now! Quickly!”

 

            Erika awoke without opening her eyes. The night before, she had complained to Bertie and the ladies about how cheated she felt and fell asleep. She’d always been a heavy sleeper. But something was different today. It smelled funny. Almost like…horses.

            She opened her eyes.

            “Herve!”

            Herve, Preminger’s old horse, regarded the Queen with kind eyes. She screamed when she found herself in the stable with him and his mate, a beautiful white horse named Fleur.

            “I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” sneered a voice Erika thought she would never hear again.

            She looked through the stable window and screamed again.

            “N-Nack! Is that-t y-you?!”

            “I wouldn’t be askin’ stupid questions if I was you,” said Nack.

            “I wouldn’ be me if I was you,” Nick interjected. He promptly received a clout to the ear.

            “B-but how d-did you two escape?!” Erika whispered.

            “We was helped out!” exclaimed Nack. “Someone who really doesn’t like you got us out, and the boss too!”

            “What?! Preminger escaped t-too?!”

            “Yup he did,” said Nick. “An’ this time, you don’t got no cats to help yer escape – ow!”

            Herve made a grunting noise. He had hated being Preminger’s horse and he wasn’t about to be that horse again.

            “The boss is nickin’ us some armor,” Nack said. “An’ if ya wanna ever see yer beloved kingy again, you’re gonna do as we tell ya! Don’t even think abou’ tryin’ to escape!”  
            And they slammed the window in her face.

            She went around, trying to open all the windows and doors. They were padlocked.

            She was locked in.


	4. Chapter 4

            The doors to the throne room of Dulcinia Castle slammed open, and Dominick ran in. He looked very angry.

            “My Lady Bertie! Where’s my ambassador?”

            Bertie, regarding the king uneasily, curtsied and said, “I’m afraid I cannot tell you. What do you need him for?”

            “I would love to know why he sent me to Paladia when clearly my service wasn’t needed there!”

            “But my King…he told me you had gone to Lunenmeyer.”

            “Then he lied to you, my lady! Just as he lied to me!”

 

            Erika had to think of something, fast. If she was to escape, she would need to listen.

            “And why, pray tell, is the stable padlocked?” she heard a man’s voice say gruffly.

            “Oh, dat’s because…” Nick began, though it seemed like he was having trouble making up a plausible story.

            “Dat’s because,” Nack interjected, “there’s a mad horse in ’ere. He was caught las’ night by Sir…Nick – I mean, Sir Nicholas, who’s da guy ’round here that’s good wiv da horses?”

            “You mean Sir Steven?” said the gruff-voiced man. Erika assumed he must be a hard-working guard.

            “Yeah…Sir Steven, dat’s him!” Nack replied. “Owns a horse ’imself, doesn’t he?”

            “Indeed,” said the gruff-voiced man. “It’s hard to believe he would put a crazed beast in here with his own Fleur. He loves that horse. He even persuaded the Princess of Kattenland to let one of her horses stay with her. He thinks they’re in love…as if. I’m not into that sappy romantic stuff.”

            “Just make sure he don’ get out, ’kay?” said Nack.

            Erika heard two pairs of feet run away.

            She was ready. Carefully, she mounted Fleur, so no unsavory characters who might be lurking would hear her.

            “Could you help, please?” she said sweetly.

            “Eh? Who’s that?” asked the gruff-voiced man.

            “I’m just a maid. I was locked in here with the mad horse, I suppose. I fell asleep last night and when I woke up and heard about a crazed animal in here I got quite frightened. Could you let me out, please?”

            She didn’t dare reveal her true identity. After all, what if this gruff-voiced character was also in cahoots with Preminger?

            “All right,” said the man. She heard the chink of an opening padlock.

            The door slowly opened.

            “Fleur, now! To Kattenland! Ha!”

            The white horse immediately galloped away from the stable door and castle. If Erika was to go back to Dulcinia she could get kidnapped all over again. Preminger had somehow infiltrated the palace.

 

            “Yeah, Boss, I’m afraid Erika escaped on one o’ the horses.”

            “ _Now you tell me_?!”

            Preminger grabbed Nick and Nack by the wrists and headed for the stables.

            “How could you two be so _stupid_?! _I_ was supposed to let her out, you fools! Didn’t you hear me tell you I was going to tell her a well-rehearsed story of how that idiot Dominick never really loved her and had hidden her in the stables with you two to help, and he had some dastardly plot?”

            He could see it now. He was telling Erika of how he had repented, seen the light, and made a switch, how he had been spying on King Dominick for several days because he was suspicious of him, how he had found out the King’s wicked plot the day he’d locked his Queen up, and how he’d just rescued her to prove himself redeemed. He was exposing Dominick as a wretched scoundrel, smirking as the guards dragged the King pleading his innocence away. He was marrying a tearful yet grateful Erika. And finally, he was being crowned King of Dulcinia.

            And now, that could never go as planned. Nick and Nack had made another stupid mistake. It was due to their stupidity that his first plan had gone so horribly, horribly wrong, and now they’d messed up again. Not to mention the fact that they’d practically told her Preminger was _supposed_ to be working for someone else. At least they hadn’t mentioned Bismarck’s name. One thing was certain: once Preminger was king, and he would be, one way or another, that ambassador was headed straight to the dungeons.

 

            “Anneliese! Julian! I need you! Quickly!”

            Anneliese opened the door.

            “Erika! You’re back! What happened?”

            The princess noticed her friend was crying. Something terrible must’ve happened. She prayed King Dominick hadn’t taken ill.

            “I was practically kidnapped upon my return.”

 

            “I don’t know what Nack meant…someone who doesn’t like me did this? I can’t think of anyone other than that incompetent guard of yours.” Erika sobbed, cradling Wolfie, who had just arrived in the parlor with his family.

            “Don’t worry, Erika,” said Anneliese, patting one of the kittens, who yipped and licked her hand. “I told my mother that Preminger escaped. She’s sending all her best guards to find him. And she’s making sure he can’t get back into Kattenland.”

            Misha squealed with delight as a kitten barked at her playfully.

            “I’m worried about Dominick,” Erika confided. “He’s there, with Preminger. I wish we could get him to Kattenland where he was safe.”

            Anneliese’s eyes suddenly caught a faint glimmer of inspiration.

            “Perhaps we can.”


	5. Chapter 5

            When was Julian going to get back?

            He’d been out all day today to find something suitable. Where he had gotten one for Erika Anneliese did not know. All she knew was that she was going to have to do it soon. It might be the only way to throw off Preminger. And whoever it was that wanted some kind of revenge on Erika.

            She was so lost in thought and worry that she jumped when someone knocked on the door.

            “Oh! Er…come in, please.”

            Julian entered.

            “There you are!” the princess said. “Do you have it?”

            “Yes. It took me a long time to find one,” said Julian.

            He reached into a box and pulled out a brown wig.

           

            “I look just like her!” Anneliese exclaimed as she took a look at her reflection. She had changed her pink gown to a green one.

            Erika handed Anneliese her queen’s crown and the note she was supposed to give to King Dominick upon her arrival.

            “Bring Wolfie,” Erika said. “If Preminger is out he may have found Midas.”

            “What about Misha?”

            “She still thinks I’m you. I’m sure it will be in order. Julian’s already told my mother and the maids about this plan. You just have to stay in the palace and no one will know I’m gone.”

 

            “Remember, Your Highness,” Bertie said as she led Anneliese out of the carriage. “No one is to know except for His Majesty and myself. Anyone else must think you’re our queen.”

            “I understand,” said Anneliese.

 

            “Your Majesty!”

            “Bertie!” Dominick cried. “What is it?”

            “I have found your queen!”

            Anneliese entered the room with a perfectly graceful, queenly walk, just as Julian had taught her. She then whispered something to Dominick and slipped the note into his hand.

            “We are…ahem…very glad to have you back, Your Majesty,” said Ambassador Bismarck in a tone that suggested he didn’t exactly approve. “Would you mind telling us what exactly you told our king?”

            “That’s not your business, Bismarck,” snapped Dominick. “Frankly, I would like to not talk to you until you’ve completely regained my trust!”

            “Now Lady Bertie,” he said, turning to the former seamstress, “how exactly did you find her?”

            “Nick and Nack were dragging her through a forest north of here,” Bertie said. “I’m sorry, but they got away. She’s more important anyhow.”

            “Indeed she is,” the King replied. “Now, if you all would excuse me.” He bowed and ascended the stairs.

            He had to do what the girl had told him to do. He recognized Erika’s voice, and hers was a little bit softer, like silk, compared to Erika’s, which was like a bright flower blooming.

            _Read this_ , she had said. _And don’t let anyone see you_.

            It smelled like roses.

 

            _Dear Dominick,_

_Erika is safe. She’s in Kattenland, hiding. She feared if she went back here, she would get captured all over again._

_She and I have swapped again. I’m going to try to find out who else is behind this. Erika believes that, based on what Nack told her, someone who isn’t fond of her let Preminger go free. Neither of us can think of anyone._

_Please, help me try to find this person so your queen can return to Dulcinia and I can return home._

_Anneliese Kendall Katten_

_Crown Princess of Kattenland_


	6. Chapter 6

            Bismarck had had to endure an unfair amount of surprises in his lifetime, but this…this was just beyond his endurance.

            Erika had escaped. Either a mere pauper was unbelievably clever, or Preminger hadn’t held up his end of the deal. Bismarck had told him to hide Erika until people began to inquire, and then together, they would expose King Dominick as a traitor conspiring with the Katten royal family. That way, Preminger would get Kattenland and Bismarck would get Dulcinia.

            He retired to his chamber and read his detailed plan. Yes, that sounded just about right. King Dominick and Anneliese he had planned to reveal to be secret lovers, and thus come up with a plan to get rid of Erika. That he had left to Preminger; Kattenland’s mine was in a sorry state after the last collapse, and surely he could trap Erika in there as he had done Anneliese. And Dulcinia’s people, with their ridiculous admiration of the girl, would overthrow Dominick, as would the Katten people with their royalty, for they adored Erika too. Bismarck and Preminger, of course, would be the ones next in line.

            But now, Erika was loose. Bismarck decided he would question Preminger immediately.

 

            Dominick was equally distressed, but unlike his ambassador, he had honorable reasons.

            According to Anneliese’s note, someone who “wasn’t fond of” Erika was plotting against him and his wife. At first, he could think of no one but Preminger – and then it hit him.

            “I need a carriage right away!” Dominick announced as he entered the throne room.

            Bismarck frowned. To make matters worse, it sounded as though the namby-pamby king had found something out.

            He cleared his throat.

            “Rrr…a- _hem_. Where is it you need to go, Your Majesty?” he inquired, with a slight flourish of sarcasm on the word “majesty”.

            “I need to ask you a question first,” he said as a servant went to get a carriage for the king. “I would like to know why you sent me to Paladia, and then lied to my wife and my lady Bertie about sending me to Lunenmeyer! And answer me this time!”

            Bismarck had known this one was coming. He had asked this the day before, when Erika had been abducted. He had deliberately hidden from everyone, and when he was found and asked, he’d quickly changed the subject to the Queen’s disappearance, which had veered the king off that course – at least, for the time being.

            Fortunately for him, he had a new, well-rehearsed story.

            “With…grr… _respect_ , Your Majesty, I was feeling rather clumsy that day. When I first tripped that morning, I landed on my noggin, boggling my mind quite a bit. I lost my sense of direction and my short-term memory. I was given a letter that said there was trouble in Parthinia, but I mixed up the P-names and told you Paladia by mistake. Then, after you left, someone mentioned Lunenmeyer in passing, and the name stuck in my mind. I was utterly convinced that I had sent you there.

            “My memory problems were resolved by the shocking announcement of your return, but my sense of direction was still awry. I looked for you but I headed toward the dungeons by mistake. When you found me, I was so shocked that another snippet of my memory returned, which was learning of the disappearance of your wife.”

            Dominick frowned, but, to Bismarck’s relief, he nodded.

            “Please,” he said in a stern voice, “take care not to trip in the future.”

            The King still wasn’t certain he could trust Bismarck, but his explanation hadn’t sounded dishonest.

            “Your carriage is ready, Your Majesty,” said a guard.

            “Ah, where is it you are going?” asked the ambassador.

            “I’m going to search the lands surrounding Mount Katten for Erika’s old boss,” Dominick replied gravely. “For she is someone who would undoubtedly want revenge on a servant putting her out of business.”


	7. Chapter 7

            If Preminger wanted to do something right, he would have to do it himself.

            He’d already told Nick and Nack that he was making his next plan _alone_. Now that Erika had escaped and was back in the castle, he had two new problems. One, he needed a new plan, which was already forming in his mind, but the other one was what worried him more. He would need to think of a convincing story to tell Bismarck. If the ambassador suspected that Preminger had let Erika out himself, which indeed he had _not_ done, then he would be exposed as a double-crosser quite quickly. He had to think of something, fast.

            He already had a new plan. It would involve, once again, making it _seem_ as though Dominick was plotting, except this time, it would involve a co-conspiracy between the King and his ambassador, thus getting the King overthrown and Bismarck locked up or exiled, and Erika landed as his queen. But how to convince Bismarck of his continued loyalty?

            The King had left, so Preminger would have an easier time of it getting to Bismarck, as Dominick knew exactly what Preminger was. Unfortunately, so did most of Dominick’s guards. He would have to sneak in, but do it in a way that didn’t seem untrustworthy to Bismarck.

            Then it hit him, much as his plan to kidnap Anneliese had in the Kattenland mines. Ah, those were the days…

            It was so easy, as he was already in his old cabin, and Midas, ever faithful, had taken shelter there. The dog was not nearly as well groomed as he had been three years ago, but after Preminger’s escape, he had tried to make both himself and his dog look as they had before that tragic day.

            Preminger told Midas exactly what was to be done…

 

            A guard at the gates of Dominick’s castle was quite suddenly brought out of his half-awake state by a loud bark.

            “WOOF WOOF! GRRROOOOWWLLL!”

            The guard nudged his companion, who made a “huh?” noise before being whacked hard on the shoulder. “Oh!” The second guard shook his head rapidly and was immediately alert.

            “You lazy fool!” the first guard scolded.

            “You’re one to – ” began the second guard, but the first one interrupted him with a loud “SHHH!”

            “There is an animal right there!” the first guard said, pointing the dark shape of a poodle.

            “GRRRRRRRR!” Midas bent down on his front knees and uttered his most menacing growls. The second guard flinched, but the first guard did not.

            This was his cue. Midas jumped and bit the second guard’s boot.

            “AAAAAHH!” screamed the guard, clutching his foot. The first guard pointed his spear at the dog, who yelped – then caught himself. Preminger would not give him any doggie treats if he let a little thing like _that_ stop him.

            The conniving canine growled again and jumped once more – this time sandwiching the shaft of the first guard’s spear between his teeth. The guard, unwilling to relinquish his weapon, was pulled to the ground when Midas landed. The dog then wrenched the spear from the guard’s hand and sprinted. Immediately the two, now very awake men began chasing him, the second guard firmly clutching his own spear.

            Preminger leapt from behind the tree where he had been hiding and chuckled. He then ran through the gate.

 

            Dominick was determined to find the plotting old dressmaker. He’d been traveling to Kattenland, since that had been her home, and then he saw what looked undeniably like footprints. Women’s shoes. It struck him as odd – no one traveled without a horse. No one except someone who couldn’t afford a horse and had been forced out of home.

            He ordered the driver of his carriage to stop. He would follow these on foot.

            Dominick lit his torch and looked closely at the trail. He followed these mysterious prints to a clearing in the forest where he had been traveling.

            A very meager fire was lit, and an old woman huddled next to it, clinging to a gown that had to have been very elegant once, and there were some old tattered bows.

            It had to be Erika’s former boss.

            “Aha!” Dominick said loudly. Madame Carp jumped and squeaked.

            “W-who are you?” she asked in a very scared voice.

            “I am Dominick, the king of this land! And I believe you’ve been planning revenge against my wife, Erika, since you were exposed as a cruel and heartless woman!”

            Madame Carp gasped. She never, ever thought she would hear Erika’s name again. And since her life had gone to the dogs now, she had wished she could find either of those seamstresses and apologize. Then maybe – just maybe – she could take the royal Kattenland business back from that despicable woman, Camille or whatever her name was, who, admittedly, was a wonderful knitter and _might_ have come to work with her if she hadn’t been so strict.

            Wait – why was she having second thoughts on how to run her business? Was it because of this? It was not until Dominick shouted “Speak to me!” that she came back to reality.

            “I…I…” she stammered.

            “What did you do?!”

            “N-nothing.” She hastily got up and curtsied. “Your M-majesty.”

            “Did you try to have Erika kidnapped?!” His face was very close to hers, and his blue eyes were full of fury.

            “N-no!” Madame Carp sobbed. “I d-didn’t! I may have been a bad boss but I had nothing to do with whatever that w-was!”

            She shook her head, as some part of her scolded, _Bad boss?! What had gotten into you, woman?! Have you gone soft?!_

Dominick stepped away from her. It was unlikely she was behind this.

            “Take her back to the castle in the carriage,” he ordered his escorting guard. “She must be starving…I’ll take one of the horses.”

            He detached a horse from the carriage and mounted it, ordering it to take him back to the castle.

 

            “AH!” Bismarck yelled. “PREMINGER?!”

            “Yes,” Preminger sneered. “I have come to…explain some things to you. You see, I did not let the Queen escape.”

            Bismarck glared. How did Preminger know about that?

            “Nick and Nack saw what happened, and reported it to me,” he continued. “You see, a very – well, a dozen very strong guards wanted to ride the horses and broke down the door, where they discovered her. That’s how she escaped.”

            “And why would you think I suspected you?” Bismarck asked with a suspicious tone.

            “Nick and Nack are idiots!” Preminger retorted. “Half the time they forget you’re even in the picture! They knew we had planned to move her somewhere else, and I overheard them saying that I must have tried to do that myself, but she got away! I thought they would have told you when they remembered you were part of it, and that would sound very suspicious, would it not?”

            “So you’re still in on it?”

            “Goodness me, how could I refuse?”


	8. Chapter 8

            Anneliese gasped. She had seen Preminger inside the palace.

            She was frightened. What if he saw her?

            But still, she knew he was working with someone else. This person might be in the palace with Preminger. If they were, then Anneliese had to find out.

            Then she heard someone yell “AH! PREMINGER?!”

            Hold on…that was the voice of the man who had asked her what she had whispered to Dominick!

            Quickly, she ran. She didn’t want to be found by these people, especially now that she looked like Erika. She would have to wait until Dominick got back, which might be ages if he was looking for a street rat dressmaker. Then she would tell him what his ambassador was up to.

            She went back to Erika’s room and lay down on the beautiful blue canopy bed. The room was round, unlike Anneliese’s back home, and full of flowerpots containing blue rosebushes. There were two glass doors across from the entrance that led outside to a small balcony, and a window across from the bed that showed the starry night sky in all its elegance. Beneath it was a rather large cat bed meant to accommodate the rather large cat family who frequented this castle. To the right of this bed was a small wooden desk with open drawers full of messy music papers. Anneliese had to smile at this; Erika still avidly wrote songs even though she was queen. It made sense, as the princess had heard that Erika often sang for Dulcinia’s people.

            She began to feel rather sleepy and closed her eyes. Soon she was dozing.

            Preminger was ready. He and Bismarck crept into the room, picked up Anneliese, thinking she was Erika, and carried her out of the palace, while Midas kept the guards busy. At this point, Preminger neither knew nor cared where Nick and Nack were. He was better off without them.

 

            Serafina yawned. It was a new morning.

            “Wake up, dear,” she said, nudging the oldest kitten, a beautiful white cat named Lucille. “We’ve got more walking to do before we get to Dulcinia Palace.”

            Lucille groaned, but the youngest, a light brown kitten named Tigger, barked in happiness. Gradually, all the kittens awoke, with a mixture of yawns, groans, and excited barks and meows.

            Tigger and the rest of the happy kittens ran ahead of their tired sisters and brothers, with Wolfie and Serafina in the lead, enjoying the fresh green grass of the spring.

            Just then, Serafina spotted a carriage – one of Dominick’s. Lucille and her tired siblings rejoiced. This meant they would ride the rest of the way.

            Wolfie ran up to the carriage and barked. The driver looked down and smiled upon seeing him.

            “Come on in,” he said, pleased that he was the one to be the cat chauffeur today. The guard in the carriage opened the door.

            All the cats ran in. Serafina and the tired kittens settled themselves on the seat across from the guard and Madame Carp, while Wolfie and the rest sat on the floor.

            Madame Carp was asleep, leaning against the wall of the carriage. Serafina and the kittens near her soon fell asleep too, as did the youngsters on the floor. Even Tigger dropped off after looking out the window for fifteen minutes. But Wolfie was wide awake, for something troubled him.

            What was that horrible woman doing going to Dulcinia Palace? She wasn’t going back to taunt Erika, that was for sure. Wolfie was not going to let her order his guardian (who he thought of as his mother, as he couldn’t remember his real one) around anymore. That guard had to be incredibly stupid to be letting her go there.

            Suddenly, the carriage lurched. It shook, waking Madame Carp and the sleeping cats. Wolfie growled at the old dressmaker, who yelped. _That dastardly cat_ , she thought.

            The guard went out to check for a broken wheel. There was none.

            “There’s nothing wrong with the carriage, sir,” he told the driver.

            The guard climbed back in, and the two lovebirds (or rather, cats) got into a spat that sounded like nothing more than meaningless growls, barks and hisses to the humans over Wolfie’s hostile behavior to the old woman. This continued as the carriage began once more to ramble along the road to Dulcinia Palace.

            And not one person, cat, or doggish cat noticed Nick and Nack lying contentedly on top of the carriage.


	9. Chapter 9

            No.

            No. It couldn’t be. It just _couldn’t_ be.

            Anneliese had gotten kidnapped again. She had to have been, because how else could she have gone, while she was sleeping, from Erika’s room…to Preminger’s cabin?

            They had to have taken her. Preminger and that dastardly ambassador. Her wig was still on.

            They’d taken her because she looked like Erika, which meant that she hadn’t been the intended target. She was scared. What were they going to do next?

            Anneliese got up and pulled at the door, which was locked, again.

            “Nick?! Nack?!” she hollered.

            The only response was a dog’s growl.

            Anneliese recognized that dog. It was Midas, Preminger’s dog. Erika was right; Preminger had found him.

            Nick and Nack were not here, then. It wasn’t surprising, seeing as they had had to have been major impediments in Preminger’s plans, since they’d already ruined his first one by letting her escape when she’d been here before.

            One thing was for certain. She had to get out. If she didn’t, who knew what would happen.

 

            “Erika? Erika!”

            Dominick had searched the whole palace. He knew that it was actually Anneliese, but nevertheless, she knew what she was doing and would have come running if he called. That is, if she was even here.

            “Ambassador Bismarck?!”

            Bismarck, who was in a hall nearby, was frightened. Had Dominick found him out?

            He ran to his king, secretly in a panic.

            “Have you seen – uh, Erika?” King Dominick asked politely.

            Bismarck, relieved, shook his head.

            A servant entered the hall, bowing.

            “Your Majesty,” he said, “your escorting guard has returned with the dressmaker, and the cat family.”

            Dominick went out to meet them.

            “Mangy beasts,” he heard Madame Carp mutter under her breath. “The carriage trips over something and they act like sniveling children. Cats are just pests.”

            Wolfie, Tigger, and some of the other kittens greeted Dominick enthusiastically, followed by a tired Serafina and the rest of the little cats.

            Just as Dominick was bending down to pet Wolfie, his ears went up and he looked very alert. It was plain that he sensed something was wrong.

            “What is it, Wolfie?” he asked.

            The cat growled in Bismarck’s direction, then pointed a paw at the top of the carriage with a whimper.

            Dominick ran closer to take a look. No one appeared to be there.

            He did not notice the two figures sneaking around in the hedge maze behind the carriage.

            “Ya know, I always thought dat Bismarck had da better ideas,” Nack was saying quietly to Nick. “The boss is gonna be sorry he ever called us fools!”

            “Yeah,” Nick muttered.

            “Let’s go find ’im. BUT –” he added rather loudly, grabbing Nick’s arm, “we is NOT moving until da King goes back inside! Then, we finds a way to make a deal wiv da guy!”

            “Right,” said Nick. “I knew that!”

 

            Anneliese was about to kick down the door when someone started to fumble with the lock. This was familiar…yes, very much so, for Preminger had done the exact same thing when he had collected her from Madame Carp’s!

            “Preminger,” she said in an angry tone under her breath. Well, he wasn’t taking her anywhere. She took off one of her shoes. She was going to have to break the window if she didn’t want to go with him.

            BAM!

            The door swung open and hit the wall hard. Preminger stepped in.

            Anneliese got up. He didn’t have any keys that she could see, which could mean he was playing the hero. But why would he do that when he knew how much she didn’t trust him anymore?

            “Your Majesty,” Preminger said with a sneer.

            Of course. She had almost forgotten that everyone thought she was Erika.

            Anneliese stood up.

            “Forget it, Preminger,” she snapped. “I already heard Ki – my husband’s ambassador talking to you.”

            Unlike Bismarck, Preminger had the useful and uncanny ability to think of believable lies on the spot.

            “Did you hear him scream, Your Majesty?” he asked, still sneering.

            Anneliese nodded, wondering what his motivation was in asking.

            “That was because I tried to arrest him,” he said smoothly. “You see, I’ve turned over a new leaf and I wanted to prove myself to you, because I overheard your husband and Bismarck talk of a dastardly plot!”

            “And what did this ‘dastardly plot’ entail?” Anneliese asked, her eyes narrowing.

            “I’m terribly sorry, but you see, King Dominick never really did love you.”

            Anneliese found this hard to believe. Why go back for Erika when she wasn’t the princess he was supposed to marry, and besides had been told that she had tried to usurp her throne, if he didn’t love her?

            “He and his ambassador planned to have you…disappear somehow,” he continued. “Then, he could get all the gold you earned as a singer.”

            As skilled as he was, Anneliese still didn’t believe him.

            “Why do you suddenly want to help me,” she snapped, “when you were so convinced Eri – I mean, I had tried to murder Princess Anneliese?!”

            “I told you,” he snapped back, “I’ve seen the error of my ways! _That_ was a lie!”

            “I’m not going with you, Preminger,” snapped the princess. “I don’t believe you. Dominick wouldn’t have come back for…for me if he didn’t love me. And _you_ kidnapped me!”

            “No,” said Preminger, “King Dominick and Bismarck did this.” Then he stopped. How _was_ he supposed to explain Dominick’s rescue of Erika?

            Then he had it.

            “You look so much like the princess,” he said. “The King thought you must be her. In fact, he thought that whole thing was ploy set up by me and Queen Genevieve to get her out of the arranged marriage because…someone better came along. He was angry and went to get you so he could get married and save his reputation.”

            She still didn’t believe a word of it, but Preminger grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the cabin, much as he had when she was locked in Madame Carp’s.

            They went outside to his old cart, where a new horse was hooked up.

            “To Dulcinia Palace!” he cried, cackling.


	10. Chapter 10

            Panting, Dominick entered Kattenland Palace.

            Julian and Erika knew something had gone wrong.

            “What happened?” Julian asked.

            Dominick was silent. It was clear he wanted to say something but he didn’t know how to say it.

            “Anneliese…is missing.”

            “Oh no!” Erika gasped.

            She had to get back there. If she went back to Dulcinia Palace, Preminger’s accomplice would express surprise at her return, and they would know who else was plotting.

            Dominick seemed to know what Erika was thinking.

            “You can’t go back,” he said. “If it was Preminger and whoever he’s working who took her, they’ll think you escaped and probably kidnap you, too. Julian, come on, we need to find her.”

 

            Erika watched as Julian and Dominick left in the carriage. Well, one thing was for certain. She wasn’t going to obey him and stay here. Luckily, Fleur was still in Kattenland.

            She went to the stables and mounted Fleur.

            “To Dulcinia Palace!” she cried.

 

            As Fleur made her way down the mountain, Erika made sure that she was far enough behind Dominick’s carriage so that its occupants would not see her. When, at sunset, she finally reached the palace, Dominick’s carriage went right by, for Anneliese was not there.

            As Erika led Fleur to the Dulcinian stables, she noticed something else.

            A cart was arriving at the palace, pulled by a horse she had never seen before. In the cart were a white-haired man and a brown-haired girl.

            Erika walked up closer. She gasped. The man was Preminger, and the girl was –

            She squealed. Dominick’s carriage was far away by now. But other than that, why had Preminger brought Anneliese back?

            Carefully, so as not to be noticed, Erika crept behind Preminger and Anneliese as they ascended the stairs. They entered the grand hall, and she slipped in behind. Wolfie barked, and instantly ran to Erika’s side. Erika told him “shh!” and they hid behind a large pot.

            “Where is that treacherous king and his conniving ambassador?!” Preminger shouted angrily.

            “No!” cried Anneliese. “Don’t believe anything he says!”

            The maids dusting the walls looked from Preminger to Anneliese.

            Bismarck came running down the stairs. He yelped upon seeing Anneliese.

            “Preminger?!” he scolded. “What is the meaning of this?!”

            “I know your plot, dastardly fiend!” Preminger shouted at the ambassador. “You kidnapped this poor young lady and held her captive!”

            Bismarck looked appalled.

            Erika let out a slight gasp. What were they talking about?

            “Bismarck!” said a familiar voice. “We’re right behind ya!”

            Nick and Nack entered the room from a pair of golden double doors that led to the throne room.

            “WHAT the –” Preminger shouted. “Nick?! NACK?! What are you – you’ve betrayed me!”

            “ _What_ is going on?!” Erika finally shouted, jumping out from behind her hiding place. “Ambassador Bismarck, what are you doing with those hooligans?!”

            Preminger let out a surprised shout. Ambassador Bismarck’s eyes grew wide.

            “There – there’s two of them!” Bismarck stuttered.

            “No,” snapped Preminger. “One of them is the Princess of Kattenland!”

            He called for Midas.

            Erika rushed toward Anneliese. “Are you alright?” she asked.

            Anneliese sighed. Serafina rubbed up against the princess’s leg.

            Preminger’s dog came running in from outside. He sniffed both girls.

            Then, he jumped and pulled off the brunette wig on Anneliese.

            Bismarck gasped.

            “Erika,” she said, “Ambassador Bismarck is the one Preminger was working with! He –”

            “GUARDS!” Preminger yelled. “SEIZE HIM!” He pointed at Bismarck.

            The guards just stood there.

            Although this news was quite a shock, Erika trusted her friend.

            “Do as he says,” she ordered.

            The guards grabbed Bismarck as well as Nick and Nack and marched them toward the dungeon.

            The girls sighed.

            Then Preminger unhooked the horse from his cart.

            “Follow that trail!” he commanded, pointing to the tracks of Dominick’s carriage.

            The two girls trembled. What was going on?

            Then suddenly, they heard a bunch of loud shouts and of glass breaking. Bismarck, Nick and Nack burst through the door.

            “GET THEM!” he yelled at his new cronies.

            Anneliese and Erika were grabbed by the two ruffians, who marched them up to Erika’s room and locked them in.

           

            Erika sighed.

            “This is not good.” She was watching Bismarck egg on another horse to go after Preminger.

            “I don’t know what they’re planning,” said Anneliese, “but whatever it is, we have to get to Dominick and Julian before they do!”


	11. Chapter 11

            “An’ then, Bismarck an’ we’s gonna get Dulcinia!”

            Erika trembled. Apparently Nick and Nack were going to take them away from the palace and arrange for them to “disappear,” then reveal Julian and Dominick as planning it all with Preminger, so that Bismarck would be king.

            “We have to get out of here!” she told Anneliese, almost weeping. “We have to warn them what Bismarck is up to!”

 

            Tigger, although he acted brave much of the time, was actually very frightened at the moment. His father’s mother – his Erika – was going to come to harm if something wasn’t done.

            It fell to the brave kitten to take the biggest risk he ever had.

            Tigger ran up to Nick and growled like a dog.

            “AHH!” Nick yelped. He ran away, Tigger barking at his heels.

            “COME BACK HERE YA SPINELESS IDIOT!” Nack shouted, running after them.

            “We’ve got to follow them,” Wolfie whispered to the kittens and his wife. “Nack has the keys to Erika’s bedchamber dangling from his pocket. Let’s get them!”

            To every cat’s surprise, Lucille barked. She then ran hot on Nack’s trail, followed by her parents, brothers and sisters.

            Nack heard many barks behind him. He turned around.

            “AHHHHHH!” he screamed. It was all cats! How could an army of barking creatures be mere cats?

            In his moment of distraction, Melissa, one of the braver kittens, jumped up and grabbed hold of a keyring protruding from Nack’s pocket.

            Nack screamed even louder. Both Nick and Tigger suddenly turned in his direction at his yells of, “CAT! CAAAAAAAAAAT!”

            Nick followed Tigger back to his family. He saw Nack looking extremely fearful.

            “Wha’s wrong?” he asked.

            “CAT! KEYS! CAT – TOOK – RUN – GET – CAAAAAAAAT!”

            His finger pointed rigidly at the retreating Melissa, the keyring clamped tightly between her teeth.

 

            “Good job, everyone!” said Wolfie. “Now, hand me the keys, please, Melissa.”

            The little cat dropped the keyring. Wolfie picked it up and handed it to Tigger. Kittens began to stack on top of their father until Tigger stood atop them all on two legs, now able to reach the keyhole. He dropped the keyring and his older brother Adrian caught it. Then Tigger lifted a key up and fitted it into the hole. He took the keyring between his jaws again and turned it.

            Erika noticed the door opening just a smidge.

            “It’s open!” she gasped. “Come on, let’s go!”

            The two girls sped out the doors, knocking over many cats.

            Anneliese laughed.

            “You good kitties,” she said, smiling and petting them.

            Wolfie barked, gesturing to Nick and Nack behind them. Tigger dropped the keys and cats and humans started to run for the door out.

           

            “ACK! Cats, cats CATS!”

            Madame Carp, having been knocked over by a tsunami of kittens, stood up again. Her eyes met Erika’s.

            “Erika – er…Your…Majesty?” she said weakly, curtsying.

            Erika looked at the woman. How did she get here?

            Then she gave a small gasp. The old dressmaker’s clothes were dirty and ripped, and she looked to be very hungry.

            “Eri – Your Majesty,” she said, sobbing, “I’m sorry. Can you…f-forgive me?”

            Just then, Erika’s mind lit up. She knew just how to get Preminger to get what he deserved, at least.

            “Of course,” said Erika. “But…you have to help us.”

            And she whispered a plan to Anneliese and Madame Carp.


	12. Chapter 12

            Erika hooked Fleur up to a carriage as Anneliese, Madame Carp, and all the cats piled in.

            The tracks from King Dominick’s carriage were still visible. Newer were what looked like two sets of hoofprints. She supposed that the newer set of hoofprints must belong to a horse that Bismarck mounted.

            Erika sat herself in the driver’s seat of the carriage.

            “Follow those tracks!” she told Fleur. “And quickly!”

            The white horse picked up speed. Soon, she was going so fast that Erika was clinging onto the reins. She heard Madame Carp say, “ _Really_!”

            Soon, she saw a fat figure in the distance. It had a reddish color to it.

            “After him!” Erika urged the horse.

            Fleur was now hot on Bismarck’s trail. Even further ahead, Erika could see another lone horse which had to belong to Preminger. She could not see the other carriage at all, and now she had to squint to see Bismarck, as the sun was rising higher and higher in the sky. Erika was surprised by this; in her chase she had completely lost track of time.

            Just then, she heard the _clop-clop_ of hooves behind her. Before she could turn, Erika heard the jumble of frightened barks and meows (coupled with Madame Carp’s annoyed growls). She soon heard Anneliese scream very loudly, loud enough to be heard above the sound of the fast-moving horses.

            “ERIKA! LOOK OUT! NICK AND NACK ARE AFTER US!”

            Erika egged the horse on still faster. She couldn’t let them catch her and her friends!

 

            Suddenly, Ambassador Bismarck’s horse skidded to stop. Erika egged Fleur on. Panting, the horse raced toward a beautiful valley, surrounded by trees. Bismarck, Preminger, Midas, Dominick and Julian were all standing by the side of a shining lake, along with the horses and carriage.

            Finally, Fleur stopped. Erika leapt off the driver’s seat, exhausted, and the carriage’s occupants all stepped out.

            “You traitor!” Preminger accused Ambassador Bismarck. “How could you and that idiot who dares call himself a king team up to do that to Erika?!”

            Dominick began to protest, but Bismarck interrupted him.

            “I haven’t done a thing, you criminal!” he retorted. “I know for a fact that you and the King hid her in the Kattenland Mine, and –”

            He suddenly stopped when he saw Erika. His eyes were wide with shock.

            “What – how did you –”

            Two more horses skidded to a halt, dismounted by Nick and Nack.

            “TRAITORS!” Preminger yelled at the two men. “You’ll pay for –”

            “Save it, Preminger!” Anneliese said.

            Dominick looked around at the two girls, dressmaker, men, and cats.

            “What is going on?” he asked. “Erika, what are you doing here? I told you to –”

            “Your Majesty,” said Anneliese, “Ambassador Bismarck betrayed you. He and Preminger came up with a plan. They kidnapped Erika and me.”

            Dominick gasped. Then an extremely angry expression appeared on his face.

            “I should have known!” he spat. “What with your lies and sending me to kingdoms where I wasn’t needed! Guard!”

            The guard driving his carriage grabbed Bismarck’s hands behind his back.

            “Take him straight to the dungeon!” Dominick said, his voice full of fury.

            The guard shoved Bismarck in the carriage, firmly locked the door, and told the horse to go back to the palace. The carriage sped away.

 

            Preminger, Nick, Nack, and Midas just stood there, all shocked by what had just happened.

            “Your…Majesty,” said Preminger with a sly grin, “could you possibly forgive me?”

            Dominick continued to stare angrily, this time at Preminger.

            “Hold it,” said Erika. “Let me handle this. I know the perfect job for these rogues.”

 

            It came as quite a shock to Bertie and to Kattenland’s Queen Genevieve that Madame Carp had managed to open a new shop, this time in Dulcinia. However, one could hardly feel sorry for the people who now had to work there every day. Unlike Wolfie, Midas could not figure out how to sneak in and out, and Preminger thought his days in the Katten dungeons were nothing compared to knitting stupid dresses endlessly. On top of that, whenever Nick or Nack did a horrible job (which was almost everything they sewed), he was expected to fix it. Madame Carp had told them something about a “redemption debt” or some such nonsense, but Preminger didn’t believe he was ever going to pay the whole thing off. Somehow, Madame Carp would bring up some other misdeed he had done (by now, he was quite sure she was making things up) and adding extra “interest” because of it.

            Bertie herself had become much more than a handmaiden. She was now King Dominick’s new ambassador, and she was helped out by two feline friends called Melissa and Tigger, who Dominick had named “the cleverest, most deserving cats in Dulcinia”.

            The next time Erika came to Kattenland, which was not long after, Anneliese was delighted to hear that she was now expecting a child. Misha, who was still a baby, still couldn’t tell the difference between Erika and Anneliese, so she had come to the conclusion that sometimes her mother’s singing voice sounded like a bright sun, and other times it sounded like silk, like it had most of the time.

            And they all…well, you know how that story goes.

THE END


End file.
